Steve Holcomb steers what is called a bobsled but is really a rocketship down a tube of ice, where objects travel very fast and are rather difficult to keep straight.

He does it with such expertise, control and fearlessness that, in 2010, he became the first American driver to win an Olympic gold medal since 1948, when, contrary to popular belief, bobsleds were not made by Flexible Flyer.

That was in four-man, in which Holcomb now drives a bobsled designed by a group that ex-NASCAR driver Geoff Bodine heads. His two-man sled is designed by BMW, which fulfilled his request for a convertible that hugs turns well while zooming sideways at more than 80 miles per hour.

But having the brains, brawn and bravery to ride and right this bolt of lightning, actually, isn't the hardest thing Holcomb, 33, has done of late.

In the mid-2000s, Holcomb's vision was deteriorating so severely, as the result of a degenerative eye condition called keratoconus, that it was threatening his ability to pilot a bobsled. The Utah Motor Vehicle Department might have failed him eventually, too.

Holcomb became so despondent that, as he detailed in his book "But Now I See. My Journey from Blindness to Olympic Gold," he attempted suicide. He gulped down a bottle full of assorted pills, figuring he wouldn't wake up.

When he did, it gave him the impetus to tell others about his depression, which he had not, and marked the start of his turnaround. Soon after, a procedure was developed to correct his eye trouble, and Holcomb's bleak future turned golden.

He began two-man races Sunday night at the Sanki Sliding Center. Holcomb has dominated World Cup racing in the U.S., but the Russians do well on the course here and, he had said, will be tough to beat, which proved correct. Apparently, vodka isn't the only thing with the home-ice advantage here.

USA-1, with Holcomb driving and Steve Langton pushing and then ducking for cover, torpedoed to third place after two runs with two more Monday night. But on a damp, chilly, foggy Sunday night, Holcomb's story carried Olympic warmth. Everyone could see that.